Angel Reese Might Lead You to Freedom

On not caring about perceptions you can't control.

I didn’t even realize I was doing it. Every time I saw a neighbor while I walked around the neighborhood, I changed my disposition. I’d throw on a smile and give a polite nod or a verbal greeting.

Not just because I felt like being polite. But because presenting as polite seemed like a safer option than letting unfamiliar neighbors fill in the blanks. 

I would have been perfectly within my rights to keep on walking without looking at people. I could have noticed their presence without putting on the Mr. Rogers face. Yet, each time I ran the math, it seemed like the surest way to get back home without having the police called on me for walking in my own neighborhood was to communicate as clearly as possible: I am not a threat. 

I am extremely cognizant of the ways that my very presence is policed and regarded with suspicion when I am in public. 

And that’s all I could think of as people from all walks of life weighed in on LSU basketball player Angel Reese celebrating her team’s performance (in a national championship game, no less!) in a way they didn’t approve of. 

ESPN @espn

ANGEL REESE HIT CAITLIN CLARK WITH THE "YOU CAN'T SEE ME" 👀

It did not matter that she was engaging in the same type of celebratory taunting that Caitlin Clark—the young lady she was taunting—engaged in 2 games earlier. 

Emmanuel Acho @EmmanuelAcho

If it wasn’t “classless” when Caitlin Clark did it, don’t call it classless when Angel Reese does it. Let the women compete, it’s sports!!

It did not matter that Caitlin Clark’s similar brand of celebration was lauded and admired in the days ahead of this occurrence. 

OutKick @Outkick

WAVES HER AWAY WITH HER HAND! h/t: lulu_vue

L E F T, PhD ⚫️ @LeftSentThis

2 days ago ESPN produced a segment called ‘Caitlin Clark: Queen of Clap Backs 👑’. The focus; her clapping, “You’re down 15 points. Shut up,” and of course the “you can’t see me” hand wave. Her “trash talk” was embraced and celebrated. It wasn’t stigmatized and pathologized.

It didn’t matter that all of that taunting was cited by Reese herself as the impetus behind her own taunting in this instance.

SportsCenter @SportsCenter

"I don't take disrespect lightly." Angel Reese on her celebration in front of Caitlin Clark.

All that mattered was that a Black woman had the audacity to be free and Black and happy in a way that made some people uncomfortable. 

And that made a bunch of people comfortable with sounding off.

She was referred to as a “f—g idiot” and a “classless piece of s—t” by known quantities in the world of media.

The double standard seemed unquestionably racist. And I’m not here to question whether or not it was racist. It looked and smelled racist. I’m going to call it racist. 

I am here to celebrate things worth celebrating. I’m not just talking about a basketball championship. I’m talking about a bunch of young Black women succeeding in the things they put their minds to, celebrating their success, and doing so freely. 

Nick Rothschild @nick_rothschild

"When other people do it, y'all don't say nothing. This is for the girls that look like me that's going to speak up on what they believe in. This was bigger than me tonight." Angel Reese responds to outrage over "taunting" of Caitlin Clark. Respect #Denver7

They knew they were being policed and regarded with suspicion. And they went and lived freely anyway. 

This is the ethos that will lead us all to freedom. 

Maybe next time I’m on my walk, I won’t worry about how people will respond to me bein’ Black and free. Maybe I’ll take time to celebrate the fact I’m thriving and let people feel how they feel.

Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Sounds heavenly to me.